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Special Offer

As a special early Christmas gift and to get you in the holiday mood, we are offering a 10% discount on bookings for selected barges, provided we receive the necessary deposit by December 12th, 2008...more>

Special Offer

Magna Carta - England
$750/£375 per passenger discount for all 6 night cruises departing November and December 2008, including charter groups of 6-8 passengers . more>

L'Impressionniste


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www.gobarging.com

La Belle Epoque
Best Vacation Ever    France with a Difference Last Issue Competition New Competition Barging News Back Issues
Welcome to the November-December 2008 Lock-Keeper

Welcome to the 60th (diamond) edition of the Go Barging Newsletter.

As the dark nights start to draw in, many of you are probably already making travel plans for next year. So if you are considering a barge cruise in 2009, we hope this issue will whet your appetite and help you decide which of Europe’s beautiful inland waterways to choose. Perhaps our Special Offer will help too!

We are very pleased to include an article written by one of our favourite clients, John D. Smith, who with his family, has chartered both L'Impressionniste and Scottish Highlander in recent years. John sets himself the difficult task of trying to decide which was his “best ever” cruise.

There is also an article written by journalist Michael O’Flaherty about a week he spent in early July cruising the waterways of Provence & the Camargue aboard L’Impressionniste. He obviously enjoyed it.

If you are a golfer who is tempted by the idea of combining a few rounds on some of the South of France’s most attractive golf courses with a cruise along the Canal du Midi, have a look at Barging News. In response to popular demand, we have created a special itinerary for the cruise aboard Anjodi departing on 30th August 2009. There is also news of wine appreciation charter cruises we are offering in France for 2009 and an exciting refit project aboard L’Art de Vivre.

We are receiving more and more requests for our wide range of themed cruises e.g. wine appreciation, cycling, Venice regattas, so please look through the Theme Cruise Guide on our website and if any of the itineraries appeal, contact us for availability.

And finally, in our competition, we can't offer you diamonds, but we do have 5 copies of chef Rick Stein's new book 'Coast to Coast' to give away'.

I look forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to drop us an email with any comments about The Lock-Keeper, or indeed anything else – it’s always good to hear from you. I hope to see you at our website, www.gobarging.com where you can find out all about GoBarging and keep up to date with the latest barging news.

With best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

Best Regards,

Derek Banks - Chairman and Barge skipper



Glories of barging

 

 

impressionniste from stern

Table

views of provence

view of provence


The Glories of Barging

Best Vacation Ever

One of our favourite repeat clients, John D. Smith, tries to determine his 'best ever' cruise.

We've taken three family vacations in the form of chartered barge cruises over the last ten years or so.  As I think back, it's interesting to compare them in an effort to determine which one was the "best." 

Which one was most interesting?  Most relaxing?  Provided the best service?  Had the best food?  Best overall quality (that includes from staff support when signing-up through the entire cruise)?  Based on the experience of three charter cruises, I have some thoughts.  While there were similarities for the three, each was at a special time and place, had its "around the bend" delights, included exceptional service and meals, and included an incredible array of places to see and visit.

Click Here to read the full article

 

France with a difference

Michael O'Flaherty reflects on a barge cruise in Provence

Our barge was making slow, stately progress down the Canal du Rhone à Sete when the horses appeared.

Four of them, white and beautiful, grazing peacefully in the distance.There was an air of excitement on board the luxury hotel barge L’Impressionniste, which once plied the canals of Holland carrying freight. For we were in the Camargue, a vast, untamed area of southern France famed for its roaming wild horses.

Then there were two, much closer. They raised their heads, displaying their long manes, as we approached. They seemed to be looking at us with an element of curiosity, tinged with disdain. One of them stared jauntily at this waterborne invader, before returning nonchalantly to its midday graze.

Click Here to read the full article

Contact us today about a cruise on L'Impressionniste or Visit L'Impressionniste page




Lock-Keeper Competition

 

 

Scottish Highlander

Glencoe

Eilean Donan Castle



Last issue Competition

Scottish Highlander Competition Winner

In our last issue of The Lock-Keeper, Issue 59, we had a fabulous prize to give away - a cabin for 2 aboard Scottish Highlander for a week in 2009, cruising the Caledonian Canal in Scotland, through some of the finest inland waterways scenery in the world, taking in the Great Glen, lochs, ancient castles and much more.

No great surprise that such a great prize attracted a lot of entries.

Find out who won this wonderful cruise on Scottish Highlander

 

New Competition

Win A Copy of Rick Stein’s New Book

rick sten french odyssey

As you will no doubt recall, Rick Stein, the world-renowned chef, spent 6 weeks aboard Anjodi a few years ago on a 400 mile voyage of culinary discovery through Southern France. It resulted in a highly successful TV series that has appeared in many countries around the world and in the publication of his very popular book,
Rick Stein's French OdysseyRick Stein Coast to Coast

Well, Rick has just brought out his latest book ‘Coast to Coast’ featuring over 130 of his best-loved dishes drawn from many years travelling the globe and we have 5 copies to give away!

So please have a go and good luck.

 

Enter Rick Stein Book Competition




GoBarging News

 

 

Art de Vivre

Wine

Play Golf



GoBarging News

L’Art de Vivre to Have Beautiful New Cabins

As you read this, L’Art de Vivre, one of our most popular barges that cruises the beautiful Nivernais Canal and River Yonne in Burgundy, is undergoing a complete refit of its cabins.

Click Here to find out more

LUXURY WINE APPRECIATION CHARTER CRUISES IN FRANCE FOR 2009
Featuring Private Tours of World-Class Vineyards with Wine Expert Brendan Moore

Go Barging has recently announced the addition of exclusive chartered wine tasting cruises on all its barges in France as part of the itinerary for the 2009 season.   Renowned wine expert Brendan Moore will take guests on an exciting and enlightening exploration of the country’s premiere wine producing regions, including Burgundy and the South of France.

Click Here for more details

Golfing and Cruising – the Perfect Combination
Imagine you and your friends combining your love of golf with a leisurely cruise aboard Anjodi, a fully-crewed luxury hotel barge, drifting along tranquil waterways past some of the most beautiful scenery in the South of France. Your floating hotel is furnished with every modern comfort.  

The majority of our Anjodi Golf Cruises are for Charter Groups of 6-8 people but we have designated 30th August 2009 as a golf departure for individuals to book a cabin and join other golfers on board.  We have two staterooms still available on this departure. 
Price is US$5,090/£2,540 per person (based on 2 people sharing)

Click Here to see the full itinerary

Stop Press – Ryanair Expand their Service to the South of France

Click Here for details

That's about it for this 60th edition of the Lock-Keeper. We hope it has whetted your appetite for that well-earned luxury cruise! Please visit GoBarging and have a look around, or follow the individual links above.

The next edition of the lock-keeper will be out in January 2009, so we'll see you then.